Obituary of Ethel Strome

Ethels Service by Rev. Haas: Announcements May I extend to all a warm welcome. We’ve gathered to celebrate the life of a brave and spirited woman, Ethel Strome, whose recent passing has come as a blessing in light of the fact of her struggle with Alzheimer disease. Those of us who’ve known her for years had become her family, and her presence will be missed, and her person remembered for a long time, I’m sure. Following this service of celebration Ethel’s body well be laid to rest in the Wycollar Cemetery. Any wishing to attend are welcome to do so; just remember to use your hazard lights to identify your vehicle as a part of the procession. Then lunch will be served next door in the Senior’s Centre. Scripture Sentence In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” John 11:25, 26. Invocation Eternal, loving, creating Spirit, in whom we live and move and have our being; in whom our life finds joy, and death is only an incident in the eternal adventure through which you lead us: Bring light out of darkness, hope out of sorrow, and may comfort rise out of an awareness of your presence, we pray. Amen. Hymn “Beyond the Sunset” Eulogy Grant Doupe We are here today to celebrate the life of Ethel Strome; Ethel would be thrilled to know that we were holding her celebration on Queen Elizabeth’s 80th birthday, which is also today. Ethel May Lucy Tume was born on May 26th 1913 to Walter and Lucy Tume of London, England. Ethel had an older brother Jack and a younger brother Rick. Ethel recalled working from the early 1930’s as an assembly line worker in a Peak Frean’s biscuit factory - first getting paid by piece work and then being promoted to checker. Ethel talked of the hour long trip to work from her father’s home via bus, underground and train. Highlights of her early years were outings to the different theatres in London. During the World War II bombing of London, Ethel’s family had to leave their apartment and for six weeks they slept in an air raid shelter on deck chairs. They were unable to have a bath for those 6 weeks. Ethel said she literally lived in the tub once they relocated to Blackheath, outside of London. In Blackheath, both she and her mother worked in a munitions factory. During the war, families were encouraged to invite the Canadian soldiers into their homes and give them a warm shower and meal. This is how Ethel came to meet her future husband, and in 1942 Ethel married Olaf Edgar Strome. Eddie was wounded in Sicily in 1943 and returned to Canada in April of 1944. Ethel, Marsden’s first “war bride“ from World War II, came to Canada in May of 1944, three weeks after Eddie’s return. Ethel travelled from Glasgow, Scotland to Halifax on the ocean liner El d’France. The trip lasted ten days, because the ship couldn’t move at night, and no sounds were to be made, because it was still during the war and submarines were a threat. When asked a few years ago how she felt about leaving England and coming to Canada, she said that at first she thought it was an adventure. But when she got to Marsden, “She thought it was the last place on earth”. There was nothing romantic about it here, she thought. Ethel and Eddie built a home in Marsden and for one year managed the meat market in town. They then decided to go farming and bought land in the Lerig district. She learned how to milk cows, and help with calving and farrowing. During the spring and summer they lived on the farm, and moved back to their home in town for the winters. The cattle were fed in the coulee, below their house here in town, where they had ten acres. In 1962 Eddie passed away. Ethel returned to England in 1963 and again in 1968. But Ethel felt at home in Marsden, and had no desire to return to England to live. Ethel worked afternoons in the spring and fall in the municipal office for 20 years handwriting the tax rolls; writing up the tax notices and posting receipts for both the Village of Marsden and the R.M. of Manitou Lake. My dad often said that it was such a relief to have Ethel come in every afternoon for four months each spring and 2 months each fall to do this work. Of course, Ethel was often working in the municipal office when I was a kid, and Colin and I saw a lot of her when we were growing up. I remember once about 10 years ago when I went to visit Ethel at her house, and she said to me - “Ohhhhh, you were a bad little bugger.” In 1985 when I moved back home to train as an administrator in the RM office with dad, she said with a big smile “ Great! Now I can retire!” Ethel greatly enjoyed taking part in live theatre and entertaining in community variety programs. Many will remember Ethel‘s rendition of “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts” in one of the variety shows. Curling was also something that Ethel loved to do; Ethel was the third for Lois Cammidge when they won the Grand Challenge in the Marsden Ladies Spiel in 1958. Ethel was a member of the Ladies Auxilliary to the Royal Canadian Legion for over 25 years, very faithful in attendance, but could be expected to leave early on occasion if the Stanley Cup playoffs were on. Ethel loved the animals they had on the farm, and loved having the deer, the birds and wildlife come to visit from the coulee. She got great joy from her garden, the trees & flowers around her. In Ethel's later years, her health began to decline and she made the decision to move to the Cut Knife Special Care Home. The staff in Cut Knife enjoyed her quick wit and her winning smiles. She was most appreciative of everything that was done for her and “Thank You” was one of her often used expressions. All of the staff in Cut Knife were her friends, and their kindness to Ethel was over and above the call of duty. Ethel would sing when she was happy. One song was " I’ve got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts". When she was done, she would always say.....Pum, Pum. "School days" was another one and right until very recently, she remembered the words. If you were to ask her the name of the ship that she sailed to Canada on, she would very quickly say "It was the El d’France". Many times, Lyle and Nellie Loy would take Ethel to the beautiful pond by the home in Cut Knife. One day, a young boy caught a rainbow trout, and he offered it to Ethel. She said "Oh yes, could you cook it and bring it over for me". The boy said no; and her reply was "Well then, you keep the damn thing". Many people from Marsden and area have happy thoughts of this Special Lady. She definitely will leave many memories in our Community. If You could ask Ethel what she thought about her life, she would again say, "It was Good, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You". Scripture [John 14:1-3] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am.” Meditation John 14, from which we just read is all about life – life characterized by the word, ‘abundant’ – for it’s about life that has already conquered death. Can’t you just imagine the excitement of a young war bride being carried away on a long adventure, by a soldier, to a new country, to build a life in a fairly new land that was opening up, to a new life and new people. I expect there was no thought given at that time about what the last few years might hold. Nor of the family that could not be present, nor of the special community family that would look after her with loving care. But they were there. You were there for her. Many of us visited Ethel, and worked with her, and watched her deteriorate, quality of life slipping away until our visiting became only presence. Some of us might say that her passing is a happy relief, or release, for as Christian people, we know what scripture says about the death of God’s people, encapsulated in the powerful event of Easter. Easter Day has just passed, and we are in the early days of the Season of Easter. It’s a time when, in the church calendar, we are encouraged to centre our attention on life beyond life; that is to say, the eternal which lies beyond our present meagre existence. May I suggest that Easter is a good time to die, especially for those left behind. Easter bunnies don’t matter to us, but the mystery of an empty grave does. It’s the promise of our own empty graves, i.e., graves that may hold our bodies, but which are empty of us. As the angel has said; as we are familiar with, “He is not here, he is risen”. That empty grave is the symbol of more empty graves, thank God. Although we may find it uncomfortable to think, Ethel had become a ‘dying person’, thus needing to die. Death for her was as natural as sleep; and we don’t begrudge her going to rest, even if we do feel deprived of her companionship, her companionship. We know that the passion of Holy Week preceded Easter, and as Jesus carried his cross out of the city to the hill its shadow fell on many along the way. In light of Christian teaching, knowing we are also walking the way of passion to a place of dying, we may recognize that when the shadow of the cross falls on us we are in good company – the company of Jesus; of Mary his mother and Mary Magdalene (the only disciple of Jesus who remained present through his suffering); we’re in the company of a thief who in his last moments came to a new and vivid awareness of who Jesus is and the tremendous power of God for himself; we’re in the company of a Roman soldier who laid aside his tough pride and conceded the unique quality of the person of Jesus. And as those who mourned on that awful Friday were so sure of their loss, we also mourn for those we lose, and thus validate our love, the most precious gift of human life. Indeed, “how blessed are those who mourn…” Today we celebrate that Ethel’s life has come full circle on this planet of dusty paths, warring factions, pain, disappointment and loss; may we also celebrate that Ethel has been gifted with full participant in an alternative genre of life. As best we can comprehend it, it’s a life without beginning or ending, a life bonded to the One who first identified himself as the “I Am”, i.e. to say, as the very essence of being: timeless, immutable, incorporeal, the subsisting One of all existence. While we mourn our loss and, for that matter, our own personal expectations, may we also assure ourselves that there is no better place to better place than the shadow of the cross, for as it’s darkness passes over us we affirm that this one who is the “I Am” loved, is loving, and will forever love us more dearly and completely than we can ever love ourselves. Prayer God of our hope, who turns the shadow of a cross into the surprise of Easter morning, you are the One who is the refuge we need when we see the shadow of the cross passing over. We who have gathered as neighbour and family for Ethel remember her fondly in her earlier days of joy and strength, and her latter days of quiet and confusion. This is a difficult and sobering time for us, for death has fallen closely. But we affirm our belief in the reality of that which is unseen, and in inward strength to meet the challenge; O Lord, help our unbelief even as we pray together, “…Our Father…” Casket Reflection Hymn and Family Led Out with Casket “God Will Take Care of You” Ethel May Lucy Strome passed away in the Cut Knife Special Care Home, Cut Knife, Saskatchewan on Wednesday, April 19 at the age of 92 years. Ethel is survived by: her nieces, Linda and her husband Steve Catchpole and their children Anna and Adam; Janet and her husband Micheal Parker and their children Elaine, Victoria and Sarah; Carol and her husband Dennis Charman and their children Helen, Sarah and Alice. Ethel was predeceased by: her parents Walter and Lucy Tume and her brothers Jack and Rick Tume. The funeral service for Ethel was conducted from the Marsden United Church, Marsden, Saskatchewan on Friday, April 21, 2006 at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Ted Haas officiating. A eulogy was given by Grant Doupe. Hymns sung were "The Battle Hymn of The Republic," "The Church In The Wildwood," and "Lord of The Dance," accompanied on the piano by Marcie Park. Honorary pallbearers were all those in attendance. Active pallbearers were: Dennis Morgan, Alvin Nutbrown, Clare Mullett, Terry Forget, Grant Doupe and Lyle Loy. Interment followed in the Wycollar Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks Thank you Dr. J. Steenkamp for your medical care of Ethel while she was a resident of Cut Knife Special Care Home. To the staff, who every day gave themselves to help keep Ethel happy and healthy for so many years. She did receive the best of care and you all went the extra mile. Thank you to Pastor Ted Haas for your special service, pianist Marcie Park and Marsden U.C.W. for the lovely lunch. Thank you to Grant Doupe for coming from Yorkton and doing such a fine job of the eulogy. Our thanks to the active and honorary pallbearers. Thanks to all who sent cards and donations. Our many thanks to Dale and Joel McCaw. You have the “special touch” and we very much appreciated your help and guidance. Linda & Steve Catchpole & Family - England Janet & Micheal Parker & Family - England Carol & Dennis Charman & Family - England Lyle & Nellie Loy Donations in memory of Ethel may be made to the Neilburg Cemetery Fund or to a Charity of of the Donor's Choice.